GM, Volkswagen Announce Recalls in U.S. Market

Jan. 2, 2015—General Motors and Volkswagen both announced this week large recalls of vehicles in the U.S., according to multiple reports.

The Volkswagen Group of America is recalling about 38,000 cars because a fuel leak in the engine may cause a fire, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The automaker said no injuries or accidents have been reported.

The recall covers 2014–2015 model years of the Volkswagen Beetle, Jetta, Passat and 2015 models of the Golf and GTI.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said drivers might smell gas inside their vehicles. Volkswagen is telling owners who smell gas or see the electronic power control warning light go on to immediately bring the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealer to have the fuel system inspected.

The recall affects approximately 50,000 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles from the 2015 model year. It is possible that certain affected Volkswagen Jetta vehicles with halogen headlights contain software within the control module that will turn off the low-beam headlights when the high beams are activated. This causes the light output from the headlights to be too low according to FMVSS regulations. Reduced lighting at the front of the vehicle can affect the driver’s vision in driving conditions where illumination is beneficial, and may increase the risk of overlooking obstacles in the roadway, which could result in a crash.

General Motors has also announced the recall of more than 90,000 vehicles in North America due to the possibility of being repaired with defective parts, according to a report from clickondetroit.com.

Recalled vehicles may have a defective ignition lock actuator that could make turning the ignition key difficult and cause the ignition key could remain stuck in the “start” position if the vehicle’s interior temperature is too warm.